


Just Another Caving Trip

by Yep_Im_Here_Too



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Crying, Gen, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mentioned Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Minecraft is real life, No Beta We Die Like Dream In This Fic, Not Overly Graphic, Suffering, Temporary Character Death, but still described, respawn exists, this is painful, tiny bit of comfort but not really, written with platonic in mind but shippy if you want
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:35:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29829159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yep_Im_Here_Too/pseuds/Yep_Im_Here_Too
Summary: George accompanies Dream on a mining trip, and it inadvertently turns deadly.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	Just Another Caving Trip

**Author's Note:**

> please enjoy and feel free to comment after :)

“Are you sure you wanna come with me George?”

The man in question turned from his rucksack, facing Dream and giving him an uninterested look.

“I already said I was going Dream, I don’t feel like waiting around the house all day for you to get back. You’ll probably get detoured on the way home by a dog or something if I don’t keep you in line.”

“But you hate going in the caves!”

George sighed and turned back to his bag, stuffing some bread into it along with his pickaxe. “Its fine Dream, I don’t really have a problem with caves. Are we going or not?” He shrugged his bag onto his back, turning once again to a reluctant-looking Dream. It was honestly amazing how much emotion he could betray while hiding his face.

“Yeah, we're going. Lemme go get my stuff.”

  
  


~

  
  


After trekking across the wide meadow their modest house resided in, the two boys followed the compass northwest into the woods, looking for caves they had yet to explore. 15 minutes of walking revealed a gaping hole in the side of a hill, looking promising with the inky blackness that extended further back.

George sighed as he followed Dream in. It wasn’t that he  _ hated  _ caves, he just really preferred being outside, or at home, or even at Sapnap’s house over the eastern hills. No dark corners for things to pop out of, no stifling heat of lava at the bottom of large ravines. The monotonous and grueling task of mining everything useful in sight was something George could do without. But he felt bored today, and accompanying Dream always proved to be more interesting than staying by himself, even if it meant stumbling through the dark and fighting a dozen skeletons.

Speaking of which, George heard the tell-tale plunk of an arrow hitting the stone wall to his left. Both he and Dream whipped out their axes, shields at the ready. Since Dream was ahead of him, the blond man bounded forward with practiced ease into the dark, attacking the skeleton. George quickly placed a few torches in the cave, just in time to see Dream land the final hit under the base of the skeleton’s head, effectively decapitating it. 

George gave a silent breath of relief not having heard any damage taken. He knew perfectly well that Dream was capable, amazing even, at combat, but that doesn’t mean it was any less nerve-wracking watching him fight sometimes. Just because they were gifted with the blessing of respawning doesn’t mean it is painless. A respawn could traumatize someone for hours afterward, lingering sensations and murky thoughts making it a horrible experience. A particularly horrendous death like withering could leave a person inconsolable. 

The brunette was pulled from his grim musings by the sound of footsteps, looking ahead to see Dream peering further into the cave while idly chewing some bread.

“It looks like it splits off up here, do you wanna separate or stick together?” He called over his shoulder, signaling George to follow. 

“Uhh.. I’d rather stay together.”

Dream smiled softly, and it was moments like these that George was glad Dream’s mask didn’t cover his mouth. “Sure. Let’s get moving.”

  
  


~

  
  


Somewhere around 2 hours later, George was officially done with this cave trip. They had collected enough coal and iron for at least 2 weeks, along with a few stray diamonds they had found. George’s rucksack strained his back and shoulders, his lighter frame not being able to handle the weight as well as Dream. Luckily, George didn’t have to say anything as Dream turned to him from the opposite wall he was mining from, wiping the thin layer of sweat from the side of his face.

“I think we have enough for now, we should make our way back. Its getting kinda late anyway.”

George tiredly nodded, silently trudging after Dream back the way they came. He barely even reacted when Dream started fighting a zombie in front of him, just moving his shield in front of his face and letting the other man take care of it. He heard a groan of annoyance after the commotion died down. 

“Ugh, George, I’m out of food, do you have any left?” The brunette blinked. He ate his last steak earlier, when he had been so busy yelling at Dream for almost dropping his pick off a cliff that a zombie caught him off guard. He told the blond man as such.

“Great..” He mumbled, frowning. He was a few hearts down from full health. “Well, I guess it should be fine. I’ll just be careful.”

“Yeah. Can we just get out of here?” George groaned, moving past him. “I want to go home and shower already.” Dream chuckled behind him, quickly catching up to walk beside him.

It was a few quiet minutes later that things started to go downhill. The amount of mobs in the cave started to pick up, requiring both Dream and George to put a good amount of effort into fighting. George ended up getting slashed through the forearm twice by a zombie, putting him down 4 hearts. He made sure to hold his ground better from then on, not taking any damage through the next batch of mobs. He didn’t know what health Dream was on at this point, but George knew he heard the man take damage at least once. 

They gave each other a silent check over during a lull in their walk, George noting a new cut on Dream’s shoulder through his shirt. He felt Dream’s eyes linger on his semi-bandaged arm. Nevertheless, they continued on.

They were nearly out of the cave when 2 skeletons ambushed them from around a corner. George yelped, throwing his shield up in time to block the arrow, while Dream dodged and ran around to try to flank one of the skeletons. George lowered his shield right after the arrow hit it, dashing forward to land 2 hits on the bone freak before having to hide behind his shield again. He heard bones rattling sharply to his side, a sign Dream was doing alright.

Just as George was about to land the killing blow, he spotted a zombie that was way too close for comfort. It momentarily distracted him, and the skeleton almost managed to sink an arrow into his exposed shoulder because of it. He huffed in both nerves and anger, giving the skeleton a solid crack on the skull and killing it. 

A cry of pain rang out behind him, and George whipped around to spot Dream. He had an arrow lodged just above his hip, from a third skeleton with an enchanted bow that had apparently replaced the second one. The brunette’s eyes widened, and he only took a step forward when a groan just behind his ear reminded him of the zombie. He silently apologized to Dream for not being able to help sooner, frantically slashing at the undead beast.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the cave. George had no time to react as both he and the zombie were thrown forward. He hit the wall with a sickening thud, collapsing to the floor.

George’s head throbbed, ears ringing and vision spinning as he tried to make sense of himself. He groaned in pain, taking a few moments to collect himself before moving to sit up fully. Only 4 hearts left. His whole body ached, and he might have a slight concussion, but luckily there were no more major wounds than he started with.

George gasped as he suddenly remembered. 

Dream was hit with an arrow, already low on health.

Dream was the one that triggered the creeper explosion.

Cold fear pounded through his chest as he struggled to his feet, frantically scanning the cave with blurry vision to try to find his friend. A smudge of green caught his eye across the cave, and he took off as fast as he could, stumbling over loose rocks he could barely see. He panted, nearly crying with frustration, before finally reaching Dream.

He was slumped over on the floor, winded, gasping for breath and clutching his arrow wound. The end of the arrow was blown off, and George could see the cut on Dream’s shoulder from earlier was now soaking his shirt with blood. Blood trickled down his face and the edge of his mask from some unknown head wound.

George crumpled to the floor next to him, shaking hands poised over his prone body but not knowing what to do. 

“Dream? Dream, please, c-can you hear me?” His voice was quiet, trembling, desperate.

Dream gave a wet-sounding cough, red staining his lips. “I.. I can hear you, Georgie,” he rasped. His head lolled towards George, looking at him, but George knew his were eyes too glassy to really be seeing him. The blond man wheezed for breath, whimpering as his own grip on the arrow wound caused him more pain. “One heart,” he breathed out.

George’s eyes were spilling over with tears. “Ok, ok, ok, ok. Dream, um, I’m going to try to bandage you up a bit, ok? I-I’m going to get you out of here.” He took off his bag, spilling its contents on the floor and rifling through. His vision was still swimming a bit, and now clouded by tears, but he managed to find the mostly used-up roll of bandages he had. 

He turned back to Dream, unsure which wound should take priority. He only had enough wrap for one.

“Dream? Can you move your hand? I’m going to take a look at this,” George whispered, gesturing to his hip, which was stained with even more blood. Dream groaned in pain but complied, moving his hand away. George lifted his shirt, careful not to snag the broken end of the arrow, before gingerly using it to try to soak up some of the blood collecting around the wood. Dream whimpered, curling slightly in on himself.

“I know, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry Dream.” George murmured, fresh tears dripping down his face. He couldn’t tell if it was more from stress or fear.

George shakily sighed as he realized he was going to have to remove the arrow before wrapping the wound. He gently put a hand on the side of Dream’s face, caressing it. “I have to take the arrow out ok? It’s going to hurt.”

He felt his heart break when Dream nodded and coughed another whimper, turning his head to the side in preparation. 

George placed his right hand on the skin around the wound, pressing down a bit and ignoring the pained whine from Dream. He took his left hand and grabbed hold of the splintered wood, sucking in a shaky breath before starting to pull.

“Fuuuck!” Dream wailed, voice ragged. George’s eyes flicked over to the man’s face where he was biting his lip hard enough to bleed. In hindsight, George should have given him something to bite on, but it was too late now. He continued pulling the arrow, wincing at the amount of blood escaping with it. The tip came free with a sickening squelch, and George quickly threw it away, pressing Dream’s shirt into the wound to slow the blood. He began muttering mindless praises to the trembling man below him, trying to calm him down as he cried.

Once the shirt was fully soaked, he pushed it up, not wanting to jostle Dream by taking it off entirely. He quickly unwrapped the bandages, wrapping them around his torso. He could only layer it a measly 2 times.

It was better than nothing, he supposed. He would have to disinfect it when they got home.

Home.

With the shape Dream was in, George had no idea how he was supposed to get him back to the meadow. He could barely hold himself up, and George wasn’t strong enough to carry him all the way back. George could leave him and come back with food, but there was a real chance Dream might die here. George didn’t want to leave him alone, bleeding out in a cave with nothing to comfort him.

The brunette scooted towards the wall, sitting beside Dream and running his hand over the matted blond hair. He was hit with another wave of sorrow as Dream whined quietly and pushed slightly into his touch. George despondently contemplated his options. He didn’t want Dream to die, but there wasn’t much he could do.

“I’m not gonna let you die here, Dream. Not in a miserable cave like this.” He resolutely whispered, standing up. He shuffled in front of Dream, slowly pulling him up into a proper sitting position. The man moaned in agony, but let his limp body be manipulated. George peeled off his rucksack that was still on his back, putting it in a corner and covering it with stone. Hopefully, they would be able to come back for it tomorrow. He took his own nearly-empty bag and slung it on his good arm.

“Dream? Are you with me?” He gently asked. Dream made some kind of low noise, and that was good enough for George. “I’m going to put you on my back, do you think you can pull yourself up a bit?”

George didn’t wait for an answer, spreading Dream’s legs slightly and wedging himself between them. He turned around, crouching, and grabbed Dream’s hands to put them on his shoulders. “Pull yourself up, Dream,” he said, his voice not as shaky now that he had a goal in mind. He felt the blond man’s grip on his shoulders tighten, almost painfully, and Dream groaned as he tried to pull himself up with his remaining strength. 

George wedged his hands under Dream’s thighs and pulled, helping him to climb up. He pressed his back to Dream’s chest, pushing him against the cave wall for leverage. With a final pull and a pained grunt from Dream, he was fully onto George’s back, held up by his legs. George wobbled for a moment before managing to stand without dropping him. Dream was by no mean’s light, and his height certainly wasn’t helping George’s ability to hold him up. 

With slow and heavy steps, he made his way up and out of the cave. Thankfully, they weren’t that far from the entrance, and soon enough George was stepping into the muted forest light. It was nearing dusk, which didn’t bode well for them. George panted, shivering at Dream’s pained wheezing next to his ear. 

As George slowly pushed forward, his legs began to shake more and more. The wound on his arm stung every time he had to readjust his grip on Dream’s leg. Sweat was collecting on his back and face. Dizziness set in the more he exerted himself. He was exhausted. If he went any further, he might collapse with Dream still on him.

With great effort, George stopped and slowly, painfully, set Dream down against a large oak tree. George collapsed next to him, shaking, trying to recover his strength through rest. They were most likely only a third of the way through the woods. There was no way they would be able to make it back in their conditions. He turned to look at Dream next to him, who was concerningly still. Faint breaths rattled through his lungs, but other than that, he was quiet.

George huddled closer to him stroking his hair again. He was going to die soon if he didn’t do something.

He surveyed the area, thinking perhaps he could kill a stray animal and give Dream enough food to make it home. He strained his ears and heard a low moo in the distance, eyes sparking at the prospect of helping his friend.

“Dream, I’m gonna go get you some food, I’ll be right back, I swear.”

George moved to get up, feeling hopeful for the first time all afternoon, but was stopped by a weak hand gripping the edge of his shirt. He turned slowly.

Dream’s blank smile mask stared back at him, dirty and bloodied. 

“I’m not.. not gonna make it, George..” he murmured, each word carefully pushed out with weak breath through his red-stained lips. “Not.. much longer.”

George felt his heart squeeze painfully. He slowly lowered himself back down next to Dream. Reaching around the back of his head, he gently unclasped Dream’s mask and removed it from his face. Tears slipped down his face and he gently gasped at the sight of him.

He had seen Dream’s face before, but never like this. His eyes were barely open, one of them crusted over with blood. His cheek was heavily bruised, likely from his mask crushing him on impact. His chin and mouth were still covered in the blood he had been coughing up earlier. And he was so, so, pale, paler than even George. 

With all the misery and woe of someone watching their best friend die before their eyes, George leaned into Dream’s side and cried. He took the man’s hands into his, holding them gently.

“I’ll see you at home, ok?” he whispered.

He felt Dream give one last light squeeze to his hands, and then he was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> anybody remember me? :) ive only written a few things for this fandom but i guess i was here pretty early ANYWAY
> 
> i dont even know what possessed me to write this tbh. but i couldnt sleep until i wrote it so here we are. sorry dreamy boy 💔


End file.
